Friction-clutch.



WITNESSES o; E. BANKS.

FRICTION CLUTCH. APPLICATION FILED Arniko elz.

1,043,290. PatentedN0v.5,19l2

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

pl m TTOIMIEU;

. 0,3.BANKS4 FRICTION CLUTCH. APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1912.

1,043,290., Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- WITNESSES mvmmn I ATTORNEYIC l ments in Friction-Clutches, of which the fol- CHARLES E. BANKS, OF ELMI-IURST,

lENT @hhiQE,

NEW YORK.

FRICTION-CLUTCH.

Application To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I; CHARLES E. Bru ns, a citizen of the United States, and residmg at Elmhurst, Long Island, in the county of Queens and State of New Yorlt, have invented certain new and useful Improvelowing is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to friction clutches, and particularly to devices of this class designed for-use as drivers for power propelled vehicles of the thereof is to rovide an improved clutch device of this c ass which is particularly designed as a coaster clutch for vehicles of this type, but which may be used for other purposes, and which possesses great power and which may be conveniently manipulated whenever desired to throw the mechanism thereof into or out of operation; a further object being to rovide an improved clutch device of the e ass specified which may be manipulated to propel the vehicle in either direction, and with these and other clutch-shoes. two of which part thereof and ob ects in view the invention consists in a device of the class specified constructed and operated as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification'of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my invention are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a sectional view of my improved clutch device on the line 11 of I ig. 3, and showing the same' mounted on one end of ,a power shaft of a ower driven vehicle :lig. :2 a plan view of the device, as shown in Fig. 1. on a reducedscale Fig. 3 a face view of the clutch device with the clutch plate and other parts removed r- Fig. 4 an outer end view of a cross head which forms a part of the clutch mechanism, part of the construction being broken away :Fig. an inncr'view of one of the I employ :-Fig. 6 a new similar to -Fig. 3 but showing only showing one end of the Specification of Letters Patent.

filed April 30, 1912. Serial No. 694,139.

bicycle type; and the object Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

cross head and part of one clutch-shoe, and r-F ig. 7 a fragmentary view of, a quadrant gear two of which I employ.

In the drawing forming part of this specification I have shown at l' the power shaft of a power driven vehicle of the bicycle type, and said power shaft is provided with a spindle 2 the body portion of which is tapered and the end portion of which is threaded, and I also provide a supplemental spindle 3 having a cylindrical head 4 which is screwed onto the threaded portion of the spindle 2.

Keyed to the spindle ,2 and inclosing the head 4 of the spindle 3 is a hub sleeve 5 provided at its inner end with a flange 6, and mounted on the inner end portion of the hub sleeve 5 is a power wheel 7 having a deep annular groove 8 and the hub of which is preferably composed of two parts, the inner part 9 being composed of hard steel or similar material and being V-shaped in cross section the opposite sides thereof being beveled, as shown in Fig. 1, and between the part 9 of the hub of the wheel 7 and the outer end portion of the hub sleeve 5 are two ball races in which are placed ball bearings 10 and 11, the inner set of said ball bearings being held in place by a collar 12 screwed onto the hub sleeve The wheel 7 is provided on its outer side with an annular rim 13 which is providedwith an inner beveled surface 14, and mounted on the spindle 3 is a clutch disk 15 the rimof which is beveled, as shown at- 16, to correspond with the beveled surface 1-1 of the rim 13, which forms one member of a clutch.

The disk 15 is provided with a hub 17 between which and the adjacent end of the head 4 of the spindle 3 is placed a spiral spring 18, and mounted on the outer end portion of the hub sleeve 5 is a cross head 19 which is keyed to the hub sleeve 5, as shown at 20 in Fig. 3. v

Thecentral part of the cross head 19 is provided with a hub portion 1S) which enters a corresponding recess 21 in the adjacent face of the hub of the wheel 7 and said cross head 19 is secured to the hub sleeve 5 by a set screw 22 which is designed to prevent the movement of said cross head longitudinally of said hub s eeve.

Between the outer endportions of the cross head 19 are placed arc-shaped clutch shoes 23 which are approximately semi-circular in form and the adjacent ends of which are connected by spiral springs 24,

and these clutch shoes operate in connection with the inner surface of the rim 13 of the wheel 7 and are normally held out of engagement with said rim by said'springs.

The clutch shoes 23 are provided on-their ,provided with'side tongues 28 movable in corresponding grooves 29 in the ends of the cross head 19, and the opposite ends ofthe cross head 19 are provided with supplemental semi-circular recesses 30 which communicate with the recesses 26,- as clearly shown in Fig. 6, and mounted on the outer sides of the end portions of the cross head19 are quadrant gears 31' which are held in place by plates' 32 bolted or scr'ewedto said cross head as shown at33, and between which and the ends of the cross head are placed spacing blocks 34 which form chamers 35 in which the gears 31 are adapted to rotate.

The gears 31 are provided with trunnions 36 which are semi-circular in cross section to fit in the recesses 30 and are adapted to bear on the blocks 27- of the clutch-shoes 23 and said trunnions 36"are provided attheir outer ends with circular heads 38 rotatable in the plates32. The gears 26, the trunnions 36 and the heads 38 may all be formed integrally, or said trunnions may be formed sq arately and the gears 26 may be keyed to or otherwise secured thereto, and said gears normallyengage the hub gear 17 of the clutch disk 15, but said hub gear is movable longitudinally through the gears 31 or the teeth thereof.

The spindle 3 projects beyond the clutch disk 15, and the outer end portion thereof is threaded and provided with a nut 39 in wardly of which is placoda washer 40, and

mounted on the spindle 3 is a housing 41 the outer end portion of which is open and provided with :a n outwardly directed flange 42,

i and placed in the housing H and bearing on the washer and on the inner end of said housing is a spiral spring -13 whit-his much strongeri'han the spring 13.

hhumted on and movable lon i t udinallv,

of the housing 4-1 is'a casing 4-1 the inner end of which 15 provided with an inwardly directed annular flange 45 between which and the flange 42 of the housing 41 is a ball race 46 in which are placed ball bearings.

Inclosing the casing 44. is a hub member or device having side arms 48 by which itmay be secured to the frame 49 of the vehide or to any suitable support, and the hub device 47 is provided in this inner face with y a spiral thread groove 50, and the casing 44 is provided with a corresponding spiral thread 51, and said casing is also provided inwardly of the hub device 44 with a handle lever or bar 52 by which the casing 44 may thus constructed it will be seen, that the hub sleeve 5, the cross head 19,.the clutch-shoes be turned in said hub device 47 by hand. As

23, the gears 26 and the clutch disk 15 are all connected, the connection between the clutch disk and the gears 26 being through the ,teeth of said gears and the teeth of'the hub gear 11 of said disk, and-when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, in which the clutch disk 15 is out of engagement with the rim 18 of the wheel 7 the said wheel 7 is free to turn'independent of said parts.

It will be understood that in practice the wheel 7 is geared in connection with the rear' axle of the vehlcle 1n the usual manner by means of a belt, and 'in the operation of,

.starting the vehicle the handle lever 52'is moved so as to force the casing 38 inwardly. This operation enables the spring 43 to force the clutch disk 1-5 inwardly and into engagement with the rim 13, of' the wheel'7, and

this frictional engagement betweensaid. clutch disk and said run is sufficient-to cause the clutch disk to rotate with said wheel,

and this operation of the clutch disk is transmitted to the gears 26 through the hub 17 of said clutch disk, and said gears are rotated and thetrunnions 36 of said gears operate on the clutch shoes 23 through the blocks. 27, and said clutch-shoes. are forced outwardly into conn'ection'with the rim 13 of. the wheel 7 with-great force and said clutch-shoes firmly engage said rim and the as will be readily understood. 1

In order to throw the clutch mechanism out of operation the handle lever 52 is moved in the opposite direction, and-the parts.ag'ain' assume the position shown in entire power is transmitted to the wheel 7',

Fig. 1, and the wheel 7 is 'free 'to rotate independent of the spindle 2 or the power Shaftl."

seen, that the movement ofthe. handle lever 52 first throws the clutch disk 15 into frictional engagement with the rim 13 of the.

wheel 7 i and the rotation of sai-d disk with said wheel opm'ates through the hub of said disk, the gears 26, and the-trunnions 36 of said gears to throw the clutch-shoes- QSJinto connection with the rim 13 of said. wheel, and by reason of the form of the -trumnons N From the foregoing-description, it will be i 36, their method of enga 'ement with the clutch-shoes 23 and the met od of operating the gears 26 the force of said clutch-shoes is great, and this'force may be brought into operation by a comparatively slight movement and slightpower applied to the bandle lever 52.

My invention is not limited to the use of my improved clutch in connection with a power driven vehicle, as it will be apparent that the same may be applied for various other purposes in connection with power mechanisms of various kinds and classes; and it will also be apparent that changes in and modifications of the construction of my improved clutch device, as herein shown and (,lescribed, may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

It will also be understood that my invention is not limited to the power shaft and the spindle 2 thereof and in connection with which said invention is employed, but consists oft-he spindleinember 3 having a head 4: adapted to be connected with the spindle 2 and on which the hub member 5 is mounted together with other operative parts of the construction, as herein shown and described, and said clutch mechanism may be applied to power shafts of any kind or class having suitable spindles adapted to be engaged by the head a of the spindle 3, onto which said spindle 3 could be secured.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A clutch mechanism comprising a central hub member, a spindle provided with a head which is secured in. said hub member, a. power wheel rotatable on the inner end of the hub member and provided on its outer side with a clutch rim, a cross head secured to the hub member on the'outer side of the power wheel, clutch shoes mounted between the opposite ends of the cross head and said clutch rim and normally held out of engagement with said rim, a clutch disk mounted on said spindle thereof and adapted to engage said clutch rim, and provided with a central hub gear, quadrant gears rotatably mounted on the outer face of the cross head and meshing with said hub gear and provided with trun nions which are rotatable between the ends of the cross head and the clutch shoes, said.

trunnions being of greater transverse dimensions in one direction than the other and means for throwing said clutch disk into engagement with said rim.

2. In a clutch mechanism of the class described, a central hub member, a spindle having a head secured in the outer end of the hub member, a rotatable power wheel mounted on the inner end of the hub memand movable longitudinallyher and provided on its outer side with an annular clutch rim, a cross head secured to the outer end of the hub member, clutch shoes mounted between the cross head and the clutch rim and movable toward and from said rim, a clutch disk mounted on said spindle and movable longitudinally thereof and adapted to engage said clutch rim, and provided with, a central hub gear, quadrant gears mounted on the outer side of the cross head and engaging said hub gear and provided with trunnions which operate between said clutch-shoes and said cross head to force said clutch-shoes outwardly and into engage ment with said rim, and hand operating devices for forcing said clutch disk inwardly and into engagement with said rim.

3.. A clutch mechanism of the class described, eomprising. a central hub member, a spindle having a head secured in the outer end ofthe hub member and adapted to be connected with the spindle of a power shaft, a rotatable power wheel mounted on the inner end of the hub member and provided on its outer side with a clutch rim, a cross head mounted on the outer end of the hub member, arc-shaped clutch-shoes mounted between the ends of the cross head and clutch rim, and connected by spiral springs which hold said eluteh-shoes out of engagement with said rim, a clutch disk mounted on said spindle and movable toward and from said cross head and adapted to engage said rim, and provided with a central hub gear and quadrant gears mounted on the outer face of said cross head and engaging said hub gear, and said gears being provided with trunnions operating between said clutch-shoes and said cross head and by which said clutch-shoes are forced outwardly intoengagement with said clutch rim, when said gears are rotated.

4. In a clutch mechanism of the class described, a'spindlc, a clutch disk movable longitudinally of said spindle, a spring for forcing said clutch disk ouhvardly, another spring of greater power than the first named spring, for forcing said clutch disk inwardly, means for holding the last named spring out of operation, and hand operating devices for releasing said last named spring and allowing it to operate.

5. Tu a clutch mechanism of the class described, the coml'iination with a spindle of a hub member keyed thereto, a supplemental spindle secured in the outer end of the hub member, a power wheel rotatable on the inner end of the hub member and provided on its outer side with a clutch rim, a cross head secured to the outer end of the hub member, clutehshoes mounted between the opposite ends of the cross head and the clutch rim, and mutually held out of engagement with said rim, a clutch disk movable longitudinally on the supplemental spindle and adapted to engage said rim and provided With a gear hub, quadrant gears mo'untedon the cross head and meshing with said hub and provided with trunnions adapted to force said clutch-shoes outwardly into engagement With said rim, and means for moving said clutch disk longitudinally of the supplemental spindle.

In testimony that I olaimihe foregoing as my invention -I have signed my name 'in- 10 presence of the subscribing Witnesses this 29th day of Api-i1, 1912.

CHARLES E..BANKS. Witnesses: O. MULREANY,

S. ANDREWS. 

